1. Field of the Invention
A cleat assembly capable of being mounted in a recessed configuration on the deck of a marine craft or alternately on a dock to which the craft is secured as by a mooring line or the like wherein a cleat member is selectively positionable between a stored position, flush with the supporting surface and within a cavity of the mounting base of the cleat assembly or alternately in an upright outwardly extending operative position for attachment to the mooring line.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of cleats to secure a line either on the deck of a marine craft or alternately on the surface of a dock is well known for the attachment of mooring lines or other lines associated with the operation of the marine craft. Typically, such cleat structures are of a conventional configuration which may vary in size dependent upon their intended use or size of the craft on which they are used. Also, it is conventional in the prior art to fixedly secure these cleat members in an upwardly and outwardly extending position on the surface of the deck of the marine craft or the dock so as to readily present such cleat members in a convenient location for line securement.
One problem associated with the conventional mounting of cleat structures is their outward fixed protrusion providing a continuous safety hazard when not in use. It is common for passengers or crew to trip or stumble over such protruding cleat structures causing injury to themselves as well as the danger of falling overboard during operation of the craft. In order to avoid the problems associated with the fixed location of cleats but recognizing their necessity in the proper operation and/or mooring of a marine craft, the prior art has made attempts to provide cleat structures which are capable of being positioned in a stored, out of the way position or selectively disposed in an operable position. Prior art structures of the type set forth herein are generally represented in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,402,496; 4,270,478; and 4,354,445. However, in each of the structures disclosed in the above-referenced patents, the exertion of stress or force on the cleat results in undesirable or relatively excessive forces being exerted on perhaps the weakest portion of the structure.
Accordingly, there is a need in the marine industry for a cleat structure capable of being selectively positioned between an operative and a stored position and which is otherwise structured and configured to transfer forces exerted thereon such as when a mooring line is attached thereto which effectively distributes the "pulling" force throughout a mounting base as well as the cleat structure and its interconnection to the mounting base.